Entries in Royal Bank of Scotland
(1)

Monday, October 3, 2011 at 3:41PMIF YOU LIKE THIS PRESS RELEASE, PLEASE SHARE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

BOUTIQUE MARKETING AWARDS "MARKETING CAMPAIGN OF THE YEAR" AWARD TO ROYAL BANK OF SCOTLAND GROUP

Launched to recognise and celebrate the efforts of individuals, organisations, employers and the media in improving the lives of the diverse communities of people that live in Europe, the first ever EUROPEAN DIVERSITY AWARDS took place at The Savoy last month.

Boutique Marketing sponsored the MARKETING CAMPAIGN OF THE YEAR award, in a hotly contested category recognising innovative marketing campaigns that challenge convention and understand diversity and inclusion. This award is open to television, cinema, radio, internet, event, print campaigns and other events including an element of creative marketing within Europe. The shortlist of nominees were:

Metropolitan Housing Partnership

McDonald's

Royal Bank of Scotland

Lloyds Banking Group

Société Générale

Newlon Housing Trust

We award the deserving winner, RBS for their Manchester Pride 2010 campaign.

Held annually in northwest England, Manchester Pride is one of the longest running and best-known Gay Pride events in Europe. A 10-day festival that includes a Pride Fringe with arts, music and cultural events across the city, it also features community events that can be everything from poetry readings to quizzes and film screenings. The 10-day event culminates in ‘The Big Weekend’ – a 72-hour street party with a Pride parade through the city.

Previously RBS had mostly focused on traditional above-the-line advertising channels for recruitment. However, it wanted to tap into a technology-savvy audience, particularly a younger demographic who are more likely to attend events like this. The chosen media needed to grab people’s attention in an already crowded environment. It had to offer and encourage interaction, so it made sense to pick a channel this audience were already using, and found familiar – mobile phones.

The solution was Bluetooth technology and SMS downloads, which required people to get involved and opt to download Bluetooth or SMS visuals. Bluetooth is usually just a means of data transfer between mobile devices. However, RBS used transmitters – placed within a prominent poster at Manchester Piccadilly station, attached to an RBS float at the Pride parade and on body packs worn by the street-team who engaged with the crowds at the parade – to send their recruitment message out.

The poster at Manchester Piccadilly train station (which went live 12 days prior to the parade) offered a high dwell time and visibility, ensuring RBS reached its audience at key times. The posters at Manchester Piccadilly station and on the float had an eye-catching message: “At RBS, it’s what makes you, that makes us”.

Also on the posters, next to the RBS logo was the insignia for Stonewall, an LGBT campaigning and lobbying charity – to show that RBS stood shoulder to shoulder with the LGBT community. Under the main slogan, the poster read: “Turn on your Bluetooth now or text ‘RBSJOBS’ to 80010 and find out where we can take your career”. This was also the message displayed on the T-shirts of the street-team who were interacting with the crowd at the parade.

Over 23,000 texts were received throughout the day, making it one of the most successful field recruitment campaigns for a niche group, ever.